The present invention relates to an apparatus for cutting a moving object into pieces of a fixed length.
The present invention relates particularly to a cutting apparatus suitable for obtaining an ampoule case having a fixed length by cutting a corrugated case band in which ampoules are accommodated.
Heretofore, as an apparatus for cutting a moving corrugated case band to obtain an ampoule of fixed length, an apparatus of a type in which a clutch is used to operate a Thomson cutter by means of a high-speed rotatable shaft, and an apparatus of a type in which a pair of upper and lower rotary cutters are operated, have been available.
However, in the former apparatus, there are drawbacks that the cutters are of a large size and accordingly a large driving force is required and also vibration is great, while in the latter, there are drawbacks that not only the cutters per se are expensive but also they are required to be changed to cutters having sizes suitable for each cutting length and therefor it is extremely inconvenient.
An object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus for cutting a certain object into pieces of a fixed length which is capable of eliminating those drawbacks brought about by the conventional apparatuses as mentioned in the foregoing.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus for cutting a certain object into pieces of a fixed length which renders it possible to perform exact cutting even when operated at high speed, wherein an upper cutter base disposed at a specified distance from a lower cutter base is installed on the upper portion of rods which are supported to be vertically movable through vertical holes formed in the lower cutter base which is supported transversely on the frame in a rotatable fashion, said upper and lower cutter bases are respectively equipped with the upper and lower cutters confronting each other, the lower ends of said rods are pivotally connected to eccentric positions on the crank discs which are supported vertically on the frame in a rotatable fashion, and said crank discs are rotated by a driving mechanism, whereby the cutters are supposed to be raised gradually from the state of being inclined backward in concert with the movement of the object while approaching to the object so as to perform the cutting almost perpendicularly, and then come to detach from the object while increasing the degree of forward inclination thereof gradually.
A further object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus for cutting a certain object into pieces of a fixed length, wherein a follower crank arm is installed on the end of a follower shaft for rotating said crank disc member, a main driving shaft is installed concentrically with said follower shaft, a main crank arm is installed on the end of said main driving shaft by leaving a specified space relative to said follower crank arm, a block member disposed midway between both crank arms is installed at an eccentric position on the main crank arm, a connecting member is equipped on said block member to be movable along it lengthways, said connecting member being held in the state of engagement with the follower crank arm, so that by changing the position of the connecting member, despite a fixed angular velocity of rotation of the main crank arm, the angular velocity of rotation of the follower crank arm can be appropriately altered and in its turn the operation period of the crank disc member as well as the cutter equipped thereon can be altered, thereby rendering it possible to adjust the cutting length of the object.
A still further object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus for cutting a certain object into pieces of a fixed length, wherein a differential gear assembly is employed as a mechanism for transmitting the motion of a shaft driven by a power source to the shaft for rotating the aforesaid crank disc member, the speed of rotation of the shaft for rotating the crank disc member is temporarily increased or decreased relative to the rotation of the shaft driven by a power source by the action of said differential gear assembly, whereby the operation period of the crank disc member as well as the cutter is temporarily altered and accordingly minute adjustments of the cutting length of the object can be performed.